Slug feeding mechanism for extruding presses



Sept. 8, 1942. a. w. TEMPLE SLUG FEEDING MECHANISM FOR EXTRUDING PRESSES Filed Oct. 17, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN ENTYOR George 72mph ORNEY P 8, 1942' G. W. TEMPLE 2,295,138

SLUG FEEDING MECHANISM FOR EXTRUDING PRESSES Filed Oct. 17, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v J6 V INVENTOR fieorge WTempIe v BY Sept. 8, 1942. G. w. TEMPLE- 2,295,138

SLUG FEEDING MECHANISM FOR EXTRUDING PRESSES Filed Oct. 17, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 75 I ZAORNEY I Patented Sept. 8, 1942 OFFICE ll/[ECHANISM FOR EXTRUDING PRESSES SLUG FEEDING George W. Temple, New

York, N. Y., assignor to Victor Metal Products Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 1'7, 1939, Serial No. 299,801

12 Claims.

This invention relates to machines or presses for extruding discs or slugs of comparatively soft metal into collapsible tubes, the present application being a continuation-in-part "of my copending allowed application for Slug-feeding mechanism for tube extruding presses, Serial No. 114,757, filed December 8, 1936, which has resulted in Patent No. 2,180,313, dated November 14, 1939.

In the manufacture of collapsible tubes, difficulty has heretofore been experienced in controlling the movement of the slugs into the female die so that the slugs are inserted into said die in the proper position for the extrusion thereof by and on to the male die or plunger.

My invention therefore contemplates the provision of mechanism for suitably gripping and delivering the slug advanced from a suitable hopper to the female die in its proper position while adequately controlling the slug during its movement.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine showing one form of the slug-feeding means.

Fig. 2 is a combined top plan view and horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the positions assumed by the parts during the extruding operation.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of a modified form of the slug-feeding means and controlling means.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top plan view of the leading end of the feed slide showing a modified form of the notch therein.

In the practical embodiment of my invention which I have shown by way of example, and referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 showing means designed particularly for the extrusion of long neck or nozzle tubes, the various instrumentalities are mounted on the frame It], which is provided with suitable guide grooves as l l receiving corresponding members of the cross head l2. The mechanism for reciprocating the cross head, being of any of the usual types employed for that purpose, need not be described nor illustrated. Carried by the reciprocating crosshead is the plunger 12, terminating in a suitable elongated pin l3 and in a preferably tapered shoulder 14 adapted to enter the female die 15. The plunger or male die 12 is shown as supported by the oscillatory arm l6 for oscillatory movement from its extruding position, in which it enters the female die (Fig. 3), to the discharge position thereof (Fig. 2), in which the tube is stripped therefrom. It will be understood, however, that the plunger may be mounted in any of the other ways well known in the art. The usual air line I! communieating with the interior of the plunger serves to supply compressed air to blow the tube off the plunger at the tube-discharge station in the customary manner.

A slug or disc is fed to the female die l5 by mechanism which removes the lowermost slug from the pile of such slugs in the hopper tube 13, while firmly gripping the slug during its transfer. When the slug is advanced to a position directly above the female die, a suitable finger l9 pushes the slug out of the slug gripping jaws and into the die in the exact position in which the slug should rest for the proper extrusion thereof into a tube by the plunger. It being noted that the metal of the slug must flow downwardly into the comparatively small but long nozzle-forming cavity 20 of the female die, as well as upwardly around the plunger during the extruding pressure thereon by the plunger during the formation of the tube, the desirability of accurately positioning the slug to be extruded will be obvious. It being also noted that the tube nozzle is hollow and comparatively soft and thin and hence is not adapted to withstand the blow of the usual knock-out pin customarily used to aid in withdrawing the extruded tube from the female die, the desirability of the provision of means for insuring the withdrawing movement of the plunger and tube as a unit from the female die will be understood.

With the above in mind, the description may now proceed.

Secured to the horizontal surface 22 of the frame NJ is a member as 23 for supporting the female die 15, the finger IS, the hopper l8 and various other parts later to be described. The plate 24 is provided with an opening 25 through which the female die passes and serves to support on its upper surface the slug gripping members or jaws 26 and 21. The main gripping jaw 26 is'pivoted to the jaw 21 as at 28, the compression spring 29 serving to urge the front parts of the adjacent inner edges of said jaws toward each other. A preferably semi-circular recess as 33 is made in the inner edge of the jaw 26 and a corresponding recess 3! is made in the adjacent inner edge of the jaw 21, said recesses being of the proper size to receive and grip a slug as 3?. therebetween.

The jaw 26 is pivotally mounted, preferably on the plate 24, as by means of the pivot 33. At the rear end of the jaw 26 is secured the chain 34, which passes about the guide pulley 35 and is connected at its upper end to the lower end of the tension spring 36, the upper end 37 of which is secured to the cross head I2". A second spring 43 is secured at one end to the jaw 25 and at its other end to a stationary part of the machine such as the of the pull of the spring 36. A cover or retaining plate 38, covering the jaws 26' and-21-, is suitably supported as by means of the secured to the frame ID. The cover plate 38'is adjustable as by means of the bolt 49' passing through the slot 4! of the bracket 39 and into the plate 24.

In theslug-receiving positions of the slug advancing jaws26 and 21, the jaw 21 is in engagement with a suitable stop 42. of the cover plate I3 to drop The parts are so proportioned and so designed that movement of the jaws 26 and 21 is halted arranged over the cavity of the die l5, though it will be-understood that,

if desired, a suitable stop frame I9, and serves to pull the jaws in a direction opposite to the direction bracket 39' plate 24. When when the slug becomes may be arranged to stop the jaws at the desired a point.

Means are provided as. has. been hereinbefore indicated for pushing the slug 32 downwardly into its exact required position recesses of the jaws and straightening the slug in the die. At its rear end, the finger I9 is provided with the chain 48 which is secured at its upper end to the cross head l2.

It will be seen that on the upward movement of the cross head, the finger I9 is operated to lower the front end thereof and to push the slug 32 out from between the slug-gripping jaws 26 and 27 and into the female die. On the downward movement of the cross head, the weight 41 connected to the" rear end of the finger l9, serves to raise the front end of operative to move the jaws into the slug receiving position thereof with the recesses 39 and 3| underneath the hopper, the stop'2 opening the jaws for a slug from the hopper to drop into said recesses. The jaw 26 is of sufiicient width to retain the remaining slugs in the hopper and to onto the plate 24.

The means for insuring the retention of the extruded tube on the plunger when the plunger is withdrawn from the female die will now be described. Said means comprises the retaining lever 49 pivoted, as by means of the bolt 50, to a suitable collar 5| secured to the upper end of the plunger l2. A spring as 52- serves to urge the lower end of said lever toward the plunger. A suitable stationary cam 53 is secured to the frame w in the proper position to engage the end 54 of thelever and to oscillate said lever into the position shown in Fig. 1 to release the tube on the plunger when the plunger has been swun by the arm |6- into the discharge position thereof shown in Fig; 2. Normally, however, said spring 52 serves to pull the lever into contact with the extruded tube on the plunger and to hold said tube to the plunger.

When, however, the. plunger isin the extruding position shown in Fig, 3, and is lowered into. the cavity of the female die, on the last downward movement of the cross. head l2, the extension 54 of the lever 49 strikes the stationary rod 55, which is supported on the plate 24. The final part of the downward movement of the cross head l2, after the end 54 of thelever has been stopped by the rod 55, causes said lever to swing about its pivot 53 against the action of the spring 52 and thereby to withdraw the lever slightly from the plunger but enough to permitv the metal of the slug extruded from the die the plunger past said lever. As soon as the upward movement of the cross head [2 begins, should the frictional engagement. of. the: tube with the walls of the die cavity be so great that the tube does notbegin to leave, the die, the lever end 54 is disengaged from the rod 55 permitting the spring 52 to close said lever upon the tube and thereby to hold the tube firmly upon the plunger, so thatthe further upward movement of the cross head pulls the tube and plunger out of the die as a unit, and without injury to the tube.

The lever 49 continues to, hold the tube on to the plunger until the arm I6 is swung to carry the plunger into its discharge position, at which time the lever end 54 isswung by the cam 53 out of engagement-with the tube so that the compressed air delivered by the air line I!- becomes operative to blow the tube off the plunger.

It will be understood that the movements of the parts are properly timed to deliver a slug to the female die during the upward movement of the cross head [2 and while the plunger is being carried to the discharge position thereof, the slug delivering means being moved out of the way of the plunger as the plunger is oscillated back to its extruding position.

It will further be seen that I have provided simple and efficient mechanism for accurately controlling the position of the delivery of the slug to the female die and for insuring the removal of the tube from the die with the plunger without the necessity for the use of a knock-out pm.

In that form of the invention shown in Figs, 4, 5 and 6, the means for holding the tube on to the plunger has been omitted for purposes of clarity, though it will be understood that such means may be used in connection with the modified form of slug-feeding means there shown, if desired; just as efficiently as with the type shown in the remaining figures. This form of the inprevent them from dropping vention may be used with either nozzle tubes or with tubes of the usual shape having a short neck, and has been illustrated in connection with the latter form of tubes. The male die or plunger 55 (Fig. is not provided with the long nozzle or neck 2| but with a neck of the usual shape, the cavity 51 in the female die 58 being correspondingly shaped.

In this form of the invention, the feed plate 59 is supported for straight line reciprocation instead of oscillation and is provided, as shown in Fig. 4, with an arcuate slug-receiving recess 60 or, as shown'in Fig. 6, with a V-shaped recess as 6| in its leading end edge. Said plate 59 is mounted for sliding movement in a groove of the fixed support 63. At the front end of said support is arranged the slug hopper 62, open at its bottom so that the plate and remove the lowermost slug from the pile in the hopper.

The groove of the support 53 is provided with a cover plate secured to the upper face of the support and serving to hold the plate 59 against rising in the groove. In the cover plate is provided a slot 65 through which passes the pin 64 upstanding from the feed plate. A suitable tension spring 66 is secured at one end to the pin 6 and at its other end to a second pin 6'! upstanding from the top or cover plate of the support. Said spring normally urges the feed plate 59 toward its rearmost or retracted position and when free to do so moves the feed plate out of the way of the male die 55. To move said feed plate forwardly or in a direction to advance a slug from the hopper, the chain 68 is secured at one end to the pin 5- and passes around the pulley 69 suitably mounted on the upper face of the support 53 and serving to change the direction of the chain. The other end of the chain 68 is secured to the lower end of the spring 10, the upper end of which spring is secured to the cross head l2. It will thus be seen that on the upward movement of the cross head, the spring H! is tensicned thereby pulling on the chain 68 which in turn pulls on the pin $4 and therethrough on the feed plate 59 to move the feed plate forwardly into the position shown in Fig. l. When the cross head [2 moves downwardly, the spring H3 is released, as is the chain 68, whereby the spring 56 becomes operative to retract the feed plate so that its leading end edge is behind the hopper ready to repeat the operation.

In the case where the V-shaped notch 55! is provided in the feed plate, the slug is supported at two points and is, consequently, adequately positioned by the feed plate. Means are provided, however, to halt said plate when it has advanced the slug directly over the cavity 51. Said means comprises the stop H upstanding from the cover plate of the support, which stop engages the end of the adjustable stop screw '32. Said stop screw is threaded through the lug 13 projecting from the pin 64 and is adjustably held in place by a suitable lock nut as 14, whereby the exact predetermined extreme forward position of the feed plate can be accurately controlled.

To maintain the slug which has been removed from the hopper in the notch 613 or 6|. as the case may be, and to maintain full control of the slug during the advancing movement of the feed plate, the fiat spring 15 is provided. Said spring is secured at one end as 15 to the fixed support 11 and tends to assume a position just in front of the hopper 62 when unstressed, that is, before 59 may slide therepast the feed plate has advanced a slug from the hopper and forwarded the slug against the spring. When, however, the feed plate has been advanced sufiiciently to remove a slug from the bottom of the pile of said slugs in the hopper, the removed slug engages the spring and on the continued advancing movement of the feed plate, bends said spring. The spring urges the slug into the recess or notch in the end of the feed plate and maintains the slug in that position until the slug has been advanced to a point directly over the female die.

Means are provided for removing the slug from the grip of the spring 15 and feed plate and from the notch [ill or 6! at the proper time to insert said slug in an accurate horizontal position into the female die cavity. As shown, said means consists of the bell-crank lever 18 provided with the terminal slug-removing finger I9 and pivoted as at to the fixed bracket 8|. The upper end 82 of said lever is connected as by the link 83 to the cross head l2.

Downward movement of the cross head, which moves the plunger or male die '56 downwardly toward the female die, operates the link 83 to rotate the bell-crank lever l8 about its pivot and to raise the finger 19 out of the way of the plunger. After the tube has been extruded on to the male die or plunger and the upward movement of the cross head is begun, the link 83 is raised, the lever 18 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 5, and the slug which has been advanced by the feed plate is pressed firmly and in its proper horizontal position into the die cavit 51.

It will be understood that the parts are so proportioned and timed that the slug removed from the hopper by the feed plate is arranged over the die cavity on the upstroke of the cross head and just before the finger 19 engages the slug to push it out of the grip of the feed plate and spring 15 and into the die. In other words, the finger (9 becomes operative during the final part of the upstroke of the cross head, and is removed from the die on the beginning of the downstroke of the cross head. The feed plate 59 is also retracted after the finger I9 is removed, that is, after the cross head has moved downwardly to some extent. During the final part of the movement of the cross head, the feed plate 59, the slug-control spring 15 and the finger 19 are all out of the way of the plunger 55 which then operates in the usual manner.

It will be seen that I have provided simple and efficient means for controlling the slug during its advance from the hopper into the female die and for inserting the slug in its proper position in the die.

While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, but intend to claim the invention as broadly as may be permitted by the state of the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a collapsible tube extruding press, tubeextruding means including a female die having a slug-receiving cavity therein and a ve tically reciprocating member, means for delivering a slug into the die in position for the extrusion thereof by said extruding means comprising a pair of cooperating slug-gripping and controlling members, one of said members being normally urged toward the other to grip a slug therebetween and being movable therewith as a unit in the plane of the faces of said other member and in; opposite directions alternately, the other of said members having a slug-receiving recess in the leading edge thereof, means for moving said members to carry the slug gripped thereby toward and over the die, an oscillatory finger having an end portion thereof arranged for movement through the recess and thereby adapted to engage the slug and move the slug down out of the grip of said members and into the die, and means for oscillating said finger including an operative connection between the finger and said vertically reciprocating member.

2. In a machine of the character described, a reciprocating cross head, means for feeding a slug toward a die cavity while retaining control of the slug, said means including a notched plate for'receiving part of the slug and a yieldable member for engaging another part of the slug pro ecting from the plate and for urging the the notch of the plate, said member and means operated by the cross head for forcibly removing the slug from the plate and out of the grip of the member and plate and for inserting said slugin a horizontal position into the die including. a bell-crank-lever having an end thereof operable through the notch of the plate and into. the die.

3. In a machine of the character described, a vertically reciprocating cross. head, slug feeding means. for advancing a slug into the cavity of a female die, said means including ainotched slugfeedingplate, a chain connecting said plate to the cross head to move the plate. in a slug-feeding direction during upward movement. of the cross head, a spring to move the plate in the. other direction when the cross head is lowered, means including. a spring for urging the slug into and retaining. the slug in the notch of the plate duringv the slug-feeding movement of the plate, and a lever operatively connected to the cross head to remove forcibly the slug from the plate and to lower the slug into the cavity of the female die,

4. In a collapsible tube extruding press, a vertically movable cross head, slug feeding means including a, notched plate, and yieldable means for maintaining a slug in the notch of the plate, a spring connected to and urgingthe plate in one direction. on the downward movement of the cross head, a chain connected to the cross head and the plate for moving the plate in the other direction, and head for forcibly removing the slug from the notch of. the plate, said means including a lever having an end movable through the notch.

5. In a collapsible tube extruding press, tube extruding means including a female die having a slug-receiving cavity therein, and means for delivering a slug into the die inposition for the ex.- trusion thereof by said extruding means. commeans actuated by the cross.

prising a pair of slug gripping members, one of said members being pivoted to and carried by the other, said members having complementary op- -p0sed slug-receiving recesses in the adjacent edges thereof, a spring urging said one pivoted member toward said other member and thereby urging the walls of said recesses in the direction to close said. walls upon a slug inserted into said recesses, means for oscillating said members as a unit to carry a slug toward the die, and an oscillatory finger having an end portion thereof adapted to engage the slug and move the slug vertically out of the grip of said gripping members and into the die.

;- toward each other 6. In a machine of the adjacent relation and each having a recess; in the inner edge thereof, a spring urging the jawsv to grip a slug therebetween, means for oscillating carry the walls of the recesses to a predetermined station, means including a member reciprocablethrough the recesses forcibly to. remove and advance a slug gripped by the closed jaws, and stop means at the reception of a 7. In a machine slug in the recesses.

a direction perpendicular to the path of 'movefrom the grip of said aws at a predetermined the character described, vmeans for extruding a slug into a collapsible tube including a reciprocatory plunger and a cooperating female die, a slug hopper, a pair of closable jaws having recesses operative connection b said lever.

9. In a collapsible tube extruding press, a, slugfeeding plate having a slug-receiving notch in its leading edge, a spring urging the plate in one direction, a chain operated by the press to move of the spring engaging the plate and holding the slug slug advanced by the in the notch.

character described,- a pair of closable jaws pivoted together in edgesaid jaws while closed toanother station arranged the path of one of the jaws to open said jaws fortory member movable through the recesses in in, a slug hopper, means for removing a slug from the hopper and for gripping and advancing the slug to a position above the die, said means including a pair of members spring-pressed toward each other, and a lever pivoted at a point in spaced relation to the cavity and having a free end thereon moving into engagement with the top of the slug to remove the slug from between said pair of spring-pressed members while said members are closed upon the slug, said lever entering the cavity and moving the slug Vertically down into the die and into a horizontal position therein.

12. In a collapsible tube extruding press, a die having a cavity enlarged at its upper part and reduced in diameter on its lower part, slug-feeding means to advance a slug toward the die and directly above the upper part of the cavity, said means including a notched plate and a yieldable member cooperating with the plate to maintain the slug in the notch of the plate, a lever terminating in a finger, and means to move said finger into engagement with the slug and through the notch sufiiciently to enter said upper cavity part and forcibly to remove the slug from said feeding means in a direction at right angles to the plane of the feeding movement of the slug while the slug is gripped by said means thereby to insert the slug in said upper cavity part and above the lower cavity part.

GEORGE W. TEMPLE. 

